Trees & tree removal — Regional Municipality of York, Ontario

Do I need a permit to cut down a tree?

In the Regional Municipality of York, Ontario, permit required: True; applies to private property: True; protected threshold: All trees in woodlands (≥1 ha: ≥1000 trees any size, or ≥750 trees >5 cm DBH, or ≥500 trees >12 cm DBH, or ≥250 trees >20 cm DBH per ha) and woodlots (0.2–1 ha with proportional density thresholds); replacement required: Discretionary: Region may impose permit conditions including "the species, size, number and location of replacement trees to be planted". Source: Forest Conservation Bylaw (Bylaw 2013-68), verified 2026-08-29.

Forest Conservation Bylaw (Bylaw 2013-68) adopted bylaw
permit required True s. 4.1(b): "except in accordance with a permit issued under section 5"
applies to private property True s. 2.1; s. 12.1: "An owner shall be presumed to have injured or destroyed"
protected threshold All trees in woodlands (≥1 ha: ≥1000 trees any size, or ≥750 trees >5 cm DBH, or ≥500 trees >12 cm DBH, or ≥250 trees >20 cm DBH per ha) and woodlots (0.2–1 ha with proportional density thresholds) s. 1.1(t) (woodlands definition); s. 1.1(u) (woodlot definition)
replacement required Discretionary: Region may impose permit conditions including "the species, size, number and location of replacement trees to be planted" s. 6.7(c)
fine range First conviction: $100–$50,000; second/subsequent: $400–$100,000; continuing offence: $100–$10,000/day (total may exceed $100,000); special fine (>100 trees injured/destroyed): $50–$1,000 per tree over 100 (total may exceed $100,000) s. 11.3(a)–(d); s. 11.7(a)
scout note

Regional bylaw prohibiting/regulating destruction or injuring of trees in designated woodlands across York Region; requires Good Forestry Practices or Special Permits, with exemptions (building setback, utilities, limited personal use) and fines up to $100,000.

Machine-readable: trees.json · Official website: https://www.york.ca · Last verified 2026-08-29 · Trees & tree removal in other municipalities